For most, ballet is a visual art form. The corps de ballet move together as if they are one body, reacting to each other to synchronize their movements and complement their positions on stage. So how can such an art form be accessible to blind and partially sighted people?

For over 25 years, the Royal Opera House's Monday Moves project has been challenging that very presumption of the art form's visual nature, with weekly ballet classes specifically for adults with sight impairment.

‘It was an experiment to see if visually impaired people could do ballet,’ explains Maggie, one of the founding members of Monday Moves.

Many of the participants had tried other dance classes in the past, but found them difficult to follow as they couldn't see what the teacher was doing. At Monday Moves participants have a shared movement language in the form of ballet's French terminology, enabling faster and more accurate responses to vocal instruction.

Monday Moves classes also take place in a large, familiar studio, encouraging participants to be unrestrained in their movement. ‘It's so wonderful to be able to prance across a really long studio and know there is nothing in the way,’ says Maggie. ‘Your body feels better, and your mind feels better for having done things you didn’t think you could do.’

At the end of January, the Royal Opera House welcomed a group of blind and partially sighted people for a special open orchestra rehearsal. In partnership with the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) members and extra players from The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House played a 16-piece arrangement of Stravinsky’s The Firebird, under the conductor David McCallum.

The orchestra was set up in the centre of the Clore Studio and the audience sat around the players in a large circle, moving around the room regularly so that they could listen up close to different instruments.

Throughout the rehearsal of The Firebird, David talked about the plot of the ballet, demonstrating how the score vividly tells the story through musical motifs and repeating themes. He flagged moments in the music that described the magical world and creatures of the Immortal Kastchei, as well as the point when the feather is plucked from the Firebird.

After listening to the closing scene, the audience and orchestra enjoyed chatting together about the demands of playing for an orchestra.

One of the blind or visually impaired participants said: “It was a rare privilege to sit amongst the orchestra while they played The Firebird. I have the CD, but now I listen to the music with a totally different ear after having sat close to the harp and then the drums and then the trombone on one side and the cello and double base on the other.

“It was truly a magical experience and I really enjoyed speaking to the members of the orchestra who were extremely accommodating in letting us feel and, in the case of the drums, play their instruments.”

David McCallum added: “I think this Outlook day was the most successful RNIB collaboration to date and the members of the orchestra were exceptional in both their playing and their commitment to the project. It was also encouraging to see a substantial RNIB audience clearly enjoying and ‘participating’ in the event.”

Following the success of this day, the RNIB and the Royal Opera House are exploring the possibility of doing similar workshops.

As well as events such as this Outlook day, the Royal Opera House offers audio description and touch tours for certain performances. For information on the free Royal Opera House Access Membership and to download an application form, visit the Access area of our website, email our Box Office or ring us on +44 (0)20 7304 4000.